Many people got crazy about mixing cuisines and styles from different parts of the world. I also do like experimenting and fusion cuisine is often my choice. Creating new dishes and mixing flavors is great but we should not forget about basics. Many restaurants started experimenting so much that they forget to celebrate tradition. And when it comes to true and authentic traditional Japanese food, there is only one place in Delhi where you should head to: En Restaurant. It is located in Mehrauli and decorated in simple and elegant Japanese style. It’s surrounded by trees and from their rooftop you can admire the view at Qutub Minar.

Let’s talk about the food now. At the beginning I would like to tell you that most of the ingredients used to create dishes in En restaurant are imported directly from Tokyo. This already gives you a hint about the quality of their food and how much effort they put in serving authentic and traditional Japanese cuisine. Chef Nobuhisa Iimura, who’s also the General Manager of the restaurant, created the menu and takes care that all dishes are being served with the highest quality.

The best way to explore the traditional Japanese cuisine En has to offer is to choose one out of their three dinner courses. All of them 8 to 10 dishes kept in smaller portions. That gives you a chance to try many different dishes during one visit without overeating. At first I received an appetizer which combined Tofu, Namban Zuke fish and Gina-ae. I had Tofu before but the other parts of this dish were a completely new culinary experience for me. I especially enjoyed Gina-ae which is a Japanese side dish and is made out of vegetables and sesame dressing. The second started for the day was Miso Soup with Bonito Stock (Fish Stock). It is by far the best Miso Soup I’ve ever tried. Fish broth was fragrant and delicate at the same time. That’s a dish I will surely order once I’m back here.

Next I received Assorted Non-Veg Tempura. It included a king size prawn and a few vegetables. The batter the tempura was covered in was just delicious and the king prawn on the inside was cooked to perfection. To refresh my palate I was served a Japanese Ooba Herb Leave & Yuzu (Japanese lime) Sorbet. It is a wonderful idea and shows how much En – The Japanese Restaurant cares about its clientele. The star of the 8 course meal was Buta Kakuni. 28-hour braised pork belly, served with boiled egg, vegetables, Japanese mustard and beautifully cooked Miso Salmon.

The next on the list was Chawanmushi. This steamed egg custard was the only dish that didn’t match my palate as perfect as the other dishes. As a traditional Japanese experience wouldn’t be complete without sushi, the last savory dish of the day was a Sushi Platter with 4 nigiris, Japanese egg omelet and kanpyou maki. To round up an incredibly authentic Japanese meal En served a colorful dessert plate. It included Chiffon Cake, Japanese Panna Cotta and ‘Anmitsu’ Japanese Traditional Desert. The Anmitsu completely blew me away. It was served in a big bowl with cold agar jelly cubes,fresh fruits, red bean paste and green tea ice cream. It was an amazing mix of different sweet flavors and textures. A perfect ending of an extraordinary, traditional Japanese 8-course meal.

Thank you En Restaurant Team for inviting me and this amazing experience!

1 Comment

Thanks you so much Aga for well describing the dishes of EN, Each of your food description is well explained. We would love to invite you again at EN where you can rediscover our new dishes and Japanese style of presentation. Your blog has presented everything about EN’, its ambience cosy place and elegant services which are specialised. Our entire team is grateful to have you at EN – Japanese restaurant at Mehrauli to know More Visit at: http://www.en-india.com/offer